How to Identify a Myrtlewood Tree

Myrtlewood leaves add seasoning to dishes.

The most complex and ambiguous aspect of the native California myrtlewood is its name. Myrtlewood (Umbellularia californica), or Oregon myrtle, is actually not in the myrtle family and travels under myriad other common names including California laurel, California bay and pepperwood. All refer to a slow-growing evergreen tree with pungently aromatic leaves that thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 though 9. Identifying myrtlewood is a matter of using your eyes, nose and good sense.

1

Determine the tree's exact location if it grows in the wild. Wild myrtlewoods grow almost exclusively in California or within a few miles from the state border at elevations under 5,000 feet. Look for it in canyons and valleys from Baja California to southwestern Oregon.

2

Estimate the tree's height. Although specimens of myrtlewood can achieve 100 feet and more in height, most stay well under 50 feet tall and present as multi-stemmed shrubs.

3

Walk around the tree and look for a spreading shrubby tree with multiple trunks. The bark is greenish to reddish brown. Inspect the leaves; myrtlewood produces glossy leaves that are narrow and pointed and remain on the tree all year long.

4

Crush and smell a leaf to see if it has myrtlewood's strong, peppery aroma of bay leaves. Sniff the bark of the tree; sometimes myrtlewood bark is also fragrant.

5

Visit the tree in late winter or early spring to look for small flowers held in small, flat clusters termed umbrells; wild plants offer yellow-green blossoms, but cultivar flowers can be creamy white.

6

Return in summer and look for the tree's fruit, called bay nuts: green-brown drupes between 1 and 2 inches long the color and shape of avocados.

Tip

This native shrub grows in sun or shade, in fertile or poor soil, so its growing location will not help with an identification.

The wood of this tree, used for veneer in furniture and cabinetwork, is often marketed as Oregon-myrtle or myrtlewood.

Warning

Some people touching the plant may suffer skin rash or irritation, according to Calflors.

About the Author

Living in France and Northern California, Teo Spengler is an attorney, novelist and writer and has published thousands of articles about travel, gardening, business and law. Spengler holds a Master of Arts in creative writing from San Francisco State University and a Juris Doctor from UC Berkeley. She is currently a candidate for a Master of Fine Arts in fiction.